Los Angeles

This page is about the city in California. For other uses, see Los Angeles (disambiguation).

"L.A." redirects here. For the U.S. state shortened to LA, see Louisiana.

Los Angeles (L.A.), officially the City of Los Angeles, is the largest city in California, in the United States. There are 3,847,400 people living in the city and over 18 million people in the L.A. region. The city has an area of 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi). Los Angeles is the city with the second biggest population in the United States after New York, overtaking Chicago in the 1970s.

City
Flag Seal
Map of Los Angeles County, California, with Los Angeles highlighted
Coordinates: 34°03′N 118°15′W
Country	United States
State	California
County	Los Angeles
Region	Southern California
CSA	Los Angeles-Long Beach
MSA	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
Pueblo	September 4, 1781
City status	May 23, 1835
Incorporated	April 4, 1850
Named for	Our Lady, Queen of the Angels
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Body	Los Angeles City Council
• Mayor	Karen Bass (D)
• City Attorney	Hydee Feldstein Soto (D)
• City Controller	Kenneth Mejia (D)
Area
• Total	501.55 sq mi (1,299.01 km2)
• Land	469.49 sq mi (1,215.97 km2)
• Water	32.06 sq mi (83.04 km2)
Elevation	305 ft (93 m)
Highest elevation	5,074 ft (1,547 m)
Lowest elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2020)	3,898,747
• Rank	2nd in the United States 1st in California
• Density	8,304.22/sq mi (3,206.29/km2)
• Metro	13,200,998 (2nd)
Time zone	UTC−08:00 (Pacific)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−07:00 (PDT)
ZIP Codes	List 90001–90084, 90086–90089, 90091, 90093–90097, 90099, 90101–90103, 90174, 90185, 90189, 90291–90293, 91040–91043, 91303–91308, 91311, 91316, 91324–91328, 91330, 91331, 91335, 91340, 91342–91349, 91352–91353, 91356–91357, 91364–91367, 91401–91499, 91504–91505, 91601–91609
FIPS code	06-44000
GNIS feature IDs	1662328, 2410877
Major Airport	Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Rapid Transit	Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Website	lacity.gov

It is a car-centric city requiring much parking, and it is one of the most spread-out cities in the world. Greater Los Angeles is home to many movie stars and many of the biggest rock bands in the history of the United States. Los Angeles is surrounded by East Los Angeles, Huntington Park, Maywood, Walnut Park, Commerce, Bell, Glendale, South Pasadena, Monterey Park, South Gate, Carson, Cudahy, West Hollywood, Alhambra, Bell Gardena and Westmont.

Los Angeles has Spanish and Mexican influences due to being a former colony of Mexico and Spain. Los Angeles is a diverse city with many ethnic groups such as Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Italian, Salvadoran, Greek and Armenian. Mexican and Spanish architecture can be seen in Los Angeles.

Many celebrities live in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is known to be the entertainment capital of the world. Many movies, television shows and fashion shows are made in Hollywood and are often set in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles has the second largest Hispanic and Latino population in the United States, only behind New York City. Many are of Mexican and Central American descent.

Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities to live in.

History

The area comprising present-day Los Angeles County was first settled by small groups of Native Americans for centuries before the first European contact in 1769 when Gaspar de Portola and a group of missionaries camped on what is now the banks of the Los Angeles River. The name Los Angeles comes from the Spanish language, and it means "The Angels". The name is an abbreviation from the original name of the place. The original name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula" (in English, "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the River Porciúncula"), giving it both one of the longest and shortest (referring to its shortening of "LA") place names in the world. Los Angeles was founded in 1781 while the area was within the borders of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The area had been explored earlier by two Franciscan priests named Junipero Serra and Juan Crespi.

Following the Mexican War of Independence, the region passed into the hands of Mexico, which subsequently ceded control of California to the U.S. in 1848. On April 4, 1850, California became a state of the USA. Los Angeles began half a century of rapid growth after railroads arrived in the city in the 1870s. Los Angeles was home to the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984. It will host the Olympic Games in 2028. The city broke out in riots three times: in 1943, in 1965, and in 1992, all due to racism. In 1994, an earthquake killed 72 people and damaged many buildings.

Demographics

Los Angeles has the second largest Mexican, Armenian, Salvadoran, Filipino and Guatemalan population by city in the world, the third largest Canadian population in the world, and has the largest Japanese, Iranian/Persian, Cambodian and Roma (Gypsy) population in the country.

Christianity is the most practiced religion in Los Angeles.

Spanish is the most spoken foreign language in Los Angeles. Korean, Filipino, Armenian, Chinese, and Persian are also spoken in the city.

2020 census

In the 2020 census, there were 3,898,747 people, 1,410,260 households, and 839,676 families living in Los Angeles. The population density was 8,304.2 people per square mile (3,206.3/km²). There were 1,496,453 housing units. The breakdown by race was 34.9% White, 11.9% Asian, 8.6% Black, 1.7% Native American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 29.5% from one other race, and 13.3% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos made up 46.9% of the people.

The median (middle) age was 36.5 years. The age breakdown was 19.3% under age 18, 67.2% from 18 to 65, and 13.6% over 65. The gender breakdown was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

Of the households, 28.3% had children under age 18, 37.0% had a married couple, 8.4% had an unmarried couple, 31.5% had a woman with no partner, 23.1% had a man with no partner, and 29.2% had one person living alone. The average household size was 2.68 people.

Tourism

Most tourists in Los Angeles come from Mexico, Canada, China, Australia, Japan, UK, South Korea, Germany, France, Scandinavia, the Middle East and India.

Geography

Los Angeles is a very large city, and the edges of the city are very far from the center, going from the beaches to the mountains. The Santa Monica Mountains run through the city, separating it into the San Fernando Valley to the north and the Los Angeles Basin to the south. The Los Angeles River also runs through the city some 51 miles (82 km). Los Angeles moves about one-quarter of an inch (6.3 millimeters) to the east every year. It is caused by the city's tectonic plates and rough ground geography and since Los Angeles is at a close distance with the San Andreas Fault. This brings Los Angeles and San Francisco 2.5 inches (64 mm) closer together each year.

Climate

The Hollywood Sign

The climate in Los Angeles is a Mediterranean climate. The weather is usually warm and dry during the summer, and it is mild and rainier in the winter. The weather is different depending on how far away from the ocean you are, so places near the beach usually do not get as hot in the summer. It is very rare for temperatures to go below freezing near the coast but can occur further inland. The city receives about 15 inches (380 mm) of rain each year, although the amount can change a lot from year to year. Snow is very rare except on the mountain tops where some occasional light snow might fall.

Sights

L.A. has many famous sights. There are many very long beaches, such as Venice Beach. Many visitors go to Hollywood, home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and L.A. Live, an entertainment complex. Los Angeles also has many fine museums, such as the L.A. County Museum of Art, California Science Center, and the Getty Museum. Other sights include the Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles City Zoo. Los Angeles is the only major city in the world with an active population of wild mountain lions.

Industries

Los Angeles is known for its large movie and television industry. Much of this is located in Hollywood. Some military aircraft are also made there, as well as spacecraft. The music industry is also concentrated in the area. The city is also a banking center. The San Pedro area has a busy port.

Neighborhoods

Los Angeles City Hall

Los Angeles has dozens of neighborhoods and named areas, including:

• Hollywood, home of many well-known movie studios.
• Downtown Los Angeles, the financial center of the city. Home to Los Angeles' and California's two tallest buildings, the Wilshire Grand Center and the U.S. Bank Tower
• Elysian Park, home of Dodger Stadium and previously Chavez Ravine.
• Venice Beach.
• Santa Monica, beachfront district (officially a separate city).
• Inglewood, home of SoFi Stadium and The Forum (officially a separate city).
• Brentwood, a very wealthy area in West Los Angeles.
• South L.A., the center of LA's African-American jazz scene
• Leimert Park, home to LA’s historic African-American museums.
• Crenshaw, a well-known district in South Los Angeles.
• University Park, home to the University of Southern California.
• Westwood, home to the University of California, Los Angeles.
• Boyle Heights, where many Mexican Americans reside.

The Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport

• Exposition Park, home to the University of Southern California, the Coliseum, Banc of California Stadium, and the California Science Center
• San Fernando Valley, a large suburban area.
• San Pedro, where the Port of Los Angeles is located in the city.

Politics

As of December 2022, the mayor of Los Angeles is Karen Bass.

Cityscape

Panorama of Los Angeles as viewed from Griffith Observatory.
Left to right: Los Feliz, Downtown Los Angeles and Hollywood

Music

Los Angeles has a rich history and culture of popular music. Many of the most notable recording artists in the history of the United States either started or flourished in Los Angeles or Greater Los Angeles. The surf music scene is largely associated with Los Angeles and suburbs like Malibu. Motown Records moved from Detroit, Michigan to Los Angeles in the 1970s. The West Coast Hip-hop scene and genres such as G-funk are largely centered in Greater Los Angeles.

Notable bands include:

• The Beach Boys
• The Doors
• The Mamas & the Papas
• Metallica
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Eagles
• Guns 'n' Roses
• The Byrds
• Love
• Spirit
• Rage Against the Machine
• Buffalo Springfield
• Beck
• The Offspring
• Tool
• No Doubt
• System of a Down
• Linkin Park
• X
• N.W.A.
• Jane's Addiction
• Sublime (nearby Long Beach)
• Steppenwolf
• Incubus
• Sugar Ray
• The Wallflowers
• Black Flag

Media

KCBS CBS

KABC American Broadcasting Company

KTLA The CW

KTTV Fox Broadcasting Company

KCOP My13

Amphibia (Subsequently removed)

Los Angeles Media

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  Yaanga, a prominent Tongva village, stood in the area before the Spanish founded Los Angeles.

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  The Spanish founded Mission San Fernando Rey de España in 1797.

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  Californio statesman Pío Pico, who served as the last Mexican governor of California, played an influential role in the development of Los Angeles in the late Mexican and early American eras.

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  In the early 20th century, Hollywood studios, like Paramount Pictures, helped transform Hollywood into the world capital of film and helped solidify LA as a global economic hub.

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  During World War II, the California Shipbuilding Corporation on Terminal Island was among the many builders that made the Port of Los Angeles one of the largest shipyards in the country.

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  Opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics at the LA Coliseum

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  Wilshire Grand Center, built in 2017, is the tallest building in California and in the Western United States.

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  Satellite view of Los Angeles

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  Del Rey Lagoon in Playa del Rey